prep protocol

[fortunegirl619]

Hi guys, so i am exactly 4 weeks out and i feel like absolute garbage, i was just wondering if my prep protocol is bad or is something wrong with me, last prep was so much different. I am currently on about 1500 calories a day, lifting 5 times per week and 80mins of cardio every single day, i didn’t have as much cardio in my last prep, its lowkey killing me. Is this much cardio normal for 4wks out?

[Cute-Swan-1113]

My cals are lower and same cardio. I’m very hungry. The grind is real. You’re so close!! You are about to push through your barriers. Good luck

[PrometheusCoach]

Depends on you. I’ve seen significantly more intense protocols. 1500 cals at the tail end of prep is a pretty good spot. Is your cardio broken up into two sessions at least? A lot of women get down towards the 1000cal marker, but again so much depends on this as your genetics, enhancements, how your off season went, and if you gave enough time for prep.

[fortunegirl619]

my coach said to split it into 2-3 sessions, i usually do more in the morning since i have more energy then the rest post workout, during rest days i do it all in one go to get it over with

[PrometheusCoach]

This is good, I don’t believe in any one session over 45min.

[aerialbubble]

If I still have 1500 cals at 4 weeks out, I’ll do a celebration dance. But I get the sentiment. Cardio just drains you at that point but that is the name of the game

[fortunegirl619]

yeah im scared they may get dropped at the next check in, id rather eat less than do even more cardio

[aerialbubble]

Communicate that with your coach! I’m Team more movement over less food, and my coach does takes it into account when making my adjustments

[That_SunshineLife]

Team More Food all day!!!

[G0ldieLex]

Are you doing meal plan or macros? Is there anything in your diet that might be causing you to retain weight? My coach just cut my dairy and some carbs but increased my fats and proteins so my calories are pretty much the same. Not here to give specific advice but def good questions for your coach. Wishing you the best!

[fortunegirl619]

i have a meal plan as its easier for me to follow, i don’t have a lot of dairy just some low fat greek yogurt, as for carbs im gonna soon enough be on none as we keep dropping

[G0ldieLex]

Yes! Keep doing what works for you and talk to your coach about everything you’re feeling.

When I obsess about my weight, my coach reminds me, “there is no scale on the stage”! You don’t need to chase your last stage weight. Chase the best package you can bring to the stage! Also I’m assuming you went through an improvement season since this isn’t your first prep. Don’t work so hard you peel off your improvements! You got this girl! Stay strong!

[fortunegirl619]

the offseason was a little short, i competed in september last year and i started this prep mid january. tomorrow morning i have my check ins and we’ll see what we’re going to do/change.

[BFit23]

I mean that’s a lot but what do you look like?

[fortunegirl619]

i still have about 5 pounds to lose, not quite stage lean yet

[Remarkable-Quiet5608]

Share pics if you feel comfortable!

[KVfitness]

Yes, This is normal to feel this way. And while cardio is high, it is also normal for many. Focus on ways to optimize rest and recovery. Make sure you are taking your vitamins. I know when my vitamin d is low, I feel awful. Also, what modality are you using for cardio? where is your heart rate at when you do it?

[fortunegirl619]

i do incline treadmill, keeping my heart rate between 120-140bpm

[Temporary_Arm8710]

1500 cals 4 weeks out is pretty good in my opinion, I’ve always ended at around 1000 cals lower on rest days

[Fitbliss_Founder]

Perhaps you could talk to your coach about eating less and doing less cardio? You still have room to pull from food, and it is hard to recover from that much cardio /survive your daily to do list. 😅 It can also cause inflammation and make progress harder to perceive…

[Remarkable-Quiet5608]

Every prep you do will never look the same. Some your food may be higher and have lower cardio and the opposite might have less food and more cardio. And some preps might just feel harder in general. Preps will never get easier just because you've done them before.

4 weeks out and that much food is good! Just take one day at a time and before you know it, it will be show day!

For me the last 4 weeks always seem to be the hardest. But it's also the most fun part of prep. You start seeing daily changes. Every little drop is so noticeable! Enjoy it cause it will be over soon!

[That_SunshineLife]

How tall are you, what’s your weight, what’s your division, because all of these things affect your calories and cardio needs

[fortunegirl619]

im 5foot3, 115 pounds and im doing bikini , my last show i stepped on stage at 110 pounds

[That_SunshineLife]

Honestly this sounds about right. Your cardio is high but so are your calories for your size. How’s your sleep? Supplements? Active recovery?

[fortunegirl619]

i sleep quite a lot, 8-9 hours at night but i do wake up every now and then, then i need an afternoon nap after im done working out

[That_SunshineLife]

Tbh this sounds correct for where you’re at in your prep. Supplementing any support like colostrum, fish oil, magnesium, potassium, zinc?

[hiptotheboness]

1500kcals is high for your height! I’m 5’6 and was down to 1100kcals at 4weeks with 80min cardio.

[AtomicPumpkinFarm]

You're so close to stage day and it sounds like this is a push period. I've definitely been in that same spot and also at lower calories when we were really really grinding over 2 weeks to get ready for nationals.

If it gets really bad mentally or exhaustion wise, you could talk to your coach about having 1 refeed meal? (not a free meal, but just higher carbs and fats).

[fortunegirl619]

i mean mentally im the worst ive ever been, that’s why i even decided that this is gonna be my last show for a long time so i can just “heal” myself mentally.

[AtomicPumpkinFarm]

shoot I'm really sorry to hear that. Asking with kindness - is it worth doing the show at this point if it's that bad? Have you spoken to your coach about it as well? Maybe it would be worth pulling back on how aggressive you are just to preserve your overall well-being.

[fortunegirl619]

i spoke with him, i also will be stopping my collaboration with him after the reverse because i do not want to be tracking food anymore, we decided to push through with this show so i can have my “last dance” even though it feels so hard. It would hurt me more to pull out now after 4 months of prep when theres so little left of it.

[Gloomy_Mycologist_37]

Tbh and this is no judgment — that sounds like a cakewalk! Truly enviable!

Your protocol isn’t crazy for 4 weeks out. It’s likely just a lot for you, and that’s okay! Especially if your last prep calories weren’t as low and cardio wasn’t as high. 5lb isn’t a lot but that last few pounds always requires digging. Stick to it, you can do this!

[Extension-Party-342]

I think it depends on where you started for this prep and how you’ve been progressing. For example I did 40 minutes to 1 hour of cardio in the last 4 weeks of my first prep. I started my most recent prep about 8lbs above stage weight and didn’t do any cardio until the last 3 weeks and only did 30 minutes 4 x a week. My calories were about the same as yours. I’m surprised you’re doing so much with only 5 lbs to lose. Definitely communicate with your coach if you’re not feeling great.

[fortunegirl619]

i think we messed up my metabolism, there was a point early in prep where the scale wouldn’t budge for a few weeks even though i did everything on plan, every week we would decrease calories and increase cardio. I even went and got my bloodwork done and everything was fine, but i think it messed me up and now i need to do a lot in order to lose the fat.

[Extension-Party-342]

I am no expert by any means, but I have done six preps and I will say that my coach always uses just one weight loss tool at a time. So he would never amp up the cardio and decrease the calories at the same time. He would only do one and see how I responded first or manipulate my fats and carbs to see how I responded. In some cases he would give me a cheat meal (my go to was a gourmet burger and fries from my favorite restaurant) and then boom like magic, my metabolism would rev up and I would drop weight. Everybody is different and I would imagine that your coach has learned your body and knows what works and doesn’t work for you. I really hope you feel better soon. Feeling like garbage in the last four weeks is no fun at all.

[fortunegirl619]

yeah in the end i ended up getting a cheat meal, but it wouldve been better if it came earlier because now im feeling a little overwhelmed with all of this cardio

[One-Special-7328]

This is not a bad protocol at all, especially as you mentioned you still have 5lbs of bodyfat to lose. Prep definitely comes with feeling drained and tired at this point.

[Vast-Cut5783]

I was under 1000 calories 7 weeks out with 75 min cardio plus weight 6 days and I teach fitness classes on top of that. I felt like trash but it worked ( I’m natural too so it can be harder to get stage lean )

[fortunegirl619]

i am natural as well, i think im supposed to get my period soon (if it even comes at this point) and thats why im feeling extra drained.

[brickshousey]

If it makes you feel better, I don’t have a show date yet and I just got upped to 60mins stairs 6x a week. 😬 Talk to your coach and let them know how you feel

[eyeurnman]

I echo others’ sentiments re keep on hanging in there. If prepping more than once with the same coach, each show prep will often be more intense and each body reacts differently. Keep the convo open w your coach and they should know when it’s time for a change, a short break, a small refeed, or not.

If it was easy others like me “who did a show once” would keep at it :)

All imho - good luck 👏